Classifications

• • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
  • C22—METALLURGY; FERROUS OR NON-FERROUS ALLOYS; TREATMENT OF ALLOYS OR NON-FERROUS METALS
  • C22C—ALLOYS
  • C22C5/00—Alloys based on noble metals
  • C22C5/06—Alloys based on silver

Definitions

• the present invention relates to an ornament having silver as a main component and a silver alloy for the ornament.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. Sho 533-43620 discloses a silver alloy used for a wristwatch belt or the like. In addition to germanium and indium using silver as a base material, palladium, tin, zinc, aluminum, etc. Contains.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-114463 discloses a dental silver alloy, which contains palladium, copper, etc. in addition to germanium or indium based on silver.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 58-104146 discloses a silver alloy used for a sliding contact of a commutator.
• indium using silver as a base material or indium using silver as a base material, Contains bismuth and the like.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-2584339 discloses a dental silver alloy, which contains palladium, copper, zinc, etc. in addition to germanium and indium based on silver.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-32838 discloses a silver alloy used for a sliding contact of a commutator. The silver alloy contains silver as a base material, and in addition to indium and germanium, includes a force donium and the like. I have.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-250850 discloses silver alloys used for arts and crafts and accessories, and contains zinc or boron in addition to germanium using silver as a base material. I have. Also disclosed is a silver-based material containing tin, zinc, etc. in addition to indium.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-14830 discloses silver alloys used for watches, rings, pendants, tableware, etc., and uses silver as a base material, in addition to germanium and indium, as well as platinum and tin. , Zinc, and so on.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-166629 discloses a silver alloy used for a sliding contact of a commutator. In addition to indium and germanium, silver, copper, palladium, bismuth, etc. Contains. Disclosure of the invention
• Each of the above-mentioned prior arts contains germanium or zinc on a silver base material, and is suitable for dental use, electrical contact, or general accessories.
• Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. Sho 53-43620, Sho 62-25050 and Sho 63-148 The silver alloy for general accessories disclosed in No. 30 has the following problems.
• the silver alloy disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 53-43620 is easily oxidized because it contains aluminum, and the silver alloy disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 62-250850 is boron. Since silver is used, it is materially unstable. Further, the silver alloy disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-148300 is expensive because platinum is used.
• the main purpose of jewelry is aesthetic body decoration such as rings and earrings.
• the main purpose is to wear on the body an article with a specific function (watch body), such as a watch belt, as well as health promotion and certain treatment / healing effects.
• watch body such as a watch belt
• health promotion and certain treatment / healing effects There are known health-oriented accessories that are targeted or main purpose.
• silver alloys in addition to the above-mentioned prior art, but it is particularly suitable for accessories that are used in contact with the skin and are expected to have effects such as health promotion.
• Silver alloys are not yet available. In other words, no silver alloy has been provided that focuses on the far-infrared effect of germanium, that is, the use of germanium to achieve the health-promoting and therapeutic effects of treating and healing stiff shoulders and the like.
• the present inventor considers that a silver alloy suitable for jewelry having both a decorative function and a health promotion or treatment / healing function needs to satisfy the following first to fifth requirements, and various studies have been made. Was piled up.
• a silver alloy for jewelry that satisfies such a demand contains 1 to 9% by weight of germanium, and 2 to 20% by weight of germanium with respect to germanium, and the balance Is made of silver.
• the silver alloy for jewelry of the present invention first, by containing an appropriate amount of germanium, it is possible to realize a sufficient shine and luster as a decorative article to be worn. That is, when the content of the germanium is less than 1% by weight, the film becomes silvery white, but when the content is 1% by weight or more, sufficient shine and gloss similar to platinum can be obtained.
• the workability as an accessory can be improved.
• an alloy of silver and germanium is apt to become brittle even with a small amount of germanium, but by adding an appropriate amount (2 to 20% by weight to germanium) of indium, the germanium content is generally reduced.
• Moderate hardness, ductility and malleability can be obtained up to 9% by weight.
• silver-germanium alloys have better corrosion resistance, such as sulfide resistance, than pure silver.
• indium to this alloy, oxidation resistance and other corrosion resistance are improved. It can be further improved. For example, if a jewelry is used in contact with the body for a long time, it will be exposed to sweat containing water and salt, but will not corrode or discolor. On the other hand, when aluminum is added, there are inconveniences such as easy oxidation.
• silver, germanium, and indium are all safe materials to be used in contact with the skin as jewelry.
• force domes cannot be used in jewelry.
• platinum or the like the safety is high but the cost tends to be high.
• the far-infrared effect of germanium that is, the treatment of shoulder stiffness, etc. can be fully promoted, and the therapeutic effect can be fully exhibited.
• the far-infrared effect of germanium is particularly effective when microcrystals of germanium are formed in a silver substrate. You. The reason for this is that the microcrystals of germanium are small but crystalline, and therefore have a semiconductor-like property. According to the experiments of the present inventor, when germanium is less than 1% by weight, the microcrystals are in a small amount. However, when the content is more than 9% by weight, the composition ratio of microcrystals decreases. Therefore, it is desirable to contain 1% by weight or more and less than 9% by weight of germanium.
• germanium is a force that is significantly more pronounced in P-type than in N-type or intrinsic semiconductors.
• Indium is a Group III element and is added to semiconductors. Then it becomes an acceptor, resulting in a P-type.
• silver acts as a donor for germanium and gives n-type, but its solubility is less than 1/3 of that of indium. Therefore, the use of indium as an additive element eventually realizes p-type.
• boron and zinc are also considered as P-type impurities, but boron is not preferable because its atomic radius is too small to enter and exit between atoms and is unstable. Since zinc has low solubility, it is difficult to achieve P-type.
• the accessory of the present invention is characterized in that the outer surface that comes into contact with the skin while worn on the body is made of a silver alloy for accessories described below.
• the accessories that come into contact with the skin while worn on the body include, for example, necklaces, bracelets, wristbands, rings, watches, etc., but all of them may be formed of the silver alloy for accessories of the present invention.
• the plating layer on the surface may be made of the silver alloy for accessories of the present invention.
• the silver alloy for jewelry of the present invention may preferably contain 1.4% by weight or more of germanium. By doing so, it is possible to further increase the rate of germanium microcrystallization while achieving a brightness close to platinum more favorably while using inexpensive silver as the main component as a noble metal.
• the silver alloy for jewelry of the present invention may preferably contain less than 5% by weight of germanium. In this way, the amount of germanium remaining in the atomic state without being microcrystallized can be further reduced.
• the silver alloy for accessories of the present invention may be characterized in that the weight ratio of indium to germanium is preferably 5% or more. By doing so, it is possible to further improve the far-infrared effect of P-type germanium while further improving workability.
• the silver alloy for accessories of the present invention may be characterized in that the weight ratio of indium to germanium is preferably less than 13%. In this way, the far-infrared effect of P-type germanium can be further improved while ensuring the hardness when used for accessories.
• FIG. 1A is a diagram transcribed from a thermographic photograph of a male arm.
• FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a transcript of a photograph taken by a thermograph when a pellet experimentally produced with the silver alloy according to the present invention is attached to the male arm shown in FIG. 1A.
• Figure 2A is a transcript of a thermograph of a male neck.
• FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a transcript of a photograph taken by a thermograph when a necklace prototyped with the silver alloy according to the present invention is worn on the male neck shown in FIG. 2A.
• the present invention relates to an accessory having both a decorative function and a health-oriented function, and uses silver, which is a kind of noble metal, as a base material.
• silver which is a kind of noble metal
• germanium microcrystals semiconductor microcrystals
• Semiconductors When silver and germanium are alloyed, a large number of germanium microcrystals (semiconductors) are formed, which tends to become N-type by dissolving the silver of the base material and functioning as a donor. Therefore, adding an element that functions as an accelerator It is necessary to negate the function of (silver) and make the germanium microcrystals P-type.
• Examples of the element that functions as an element include indium, boron, zinc, and aluminum.
• boron is not suitable because it has a too small atomic radius in germanium microcrystals, so that boron enters and exits between atoms. Due to the low solubility of zinc, it is difficult to negate the donor (silver) function and turn germanium microcrystals into P-type. Aluminum is difficult to use because it is easily oxidized.
• indium has a relatively large atomic radius, has a solubility three times that of silver, and is hardly oxidized. Therefore, indium is suitable as an additive element for forming an acceptor.
• indium when indium is added, the malleability and ductility, which have been reduced by alloying with germanium, are restored, so that decorative processing is facilitated and moderate hardness as an accessory is maintained.
• tin, cadmium, palladium, bismuth, etc. which are often added to silver alloys, are not preferred for the following reasons.
• tin is unstable because it forms a donor together with an acceptor in germanium microcrystals. Force dome is not only harmful but also creates donor and deep impurity levels in germanium microcrystals and cannot be made P-type.
• Bismuth cannot be used because it forms donor and deep impurity levels in germanium microcrystals.
• Palladium creates deep impurity levels in germanium microcrystals, reducing the P-type effect of indium.
• germanium which has a therapeutic effect and cures stiff shoulders, is exhibited when germanium microcrystals are formed in a silver base material. This is because germanium microcrystals are small but crystalline and have semiconducting properties. Therefore, according to the experiments and hypotheses of the present inventor, germanium contains 1% by weight or more and 9% by weight. When the value is less than 1, the far-infrared effect by the germanium microcrystals is exhibited. In addition, the far-infrared effect of germanium microcrystals is remarkable in P-type, but zinc is a group III element and has higher solubility than silver. Therefore, the addition of 2 to 20% by weight with respect to germanium brings P-type to germanium microcrystals.
• the present inventor manufactured a silver alloy having the following composition ratio, prototyped a pellet, and tested the far-infrared effect.
• the size of the pellet is 2 O mm X 20 mm.
• the inventor manufactured a silver alloy having the same composition as the above-mentioned pellets, and prototyped a necklace.
• the formed ingot was stretched into a tape shape, and this was bundled and hardened to form a necklace.
• the silver alloy was tenacious, sufficiently malleable and ductile, and excellent in workability.
• electromagnetic waves such as far-infrared rays have an ionizing effect and a non-ionizing effect on living organisms. ing. Ionization is mainly caused by short-wavelength electromagnetic waves (e.g., radiation or ultraviolet light) with the highest energy. In the case of electromagnetic waves (eg, infrared rays), thermal and non-thermal effects are brought about as non-ionizing effects.
• the absorbed energy causes a temperature rise in the living body, so that a so-called thermal effect is exhibited.
• the applied weak electromagnetic waves directly act on the living body, so that a so-called non-heat effect is exerted.
• Frohlich has proposed the following model since the 1960s. In other words, there are many coherent vibration modes in living organisms, but when energy is supplied, the vibrations are concentrated in a specific mode, and excitation with macro order can occur. It reveals that long-range interactions between frequency modes can occur. Based on this model, it has been suggested that non-thermal effects may be exerted on living organisms in the wavelength range from far-infrared rays to microwaves.For example, mitochondria, an important biological constituent, However, ATP is synthesized from the electron transport system and ADP in conjugation with the electron transport system. It is expected that the above-mentioned non-thermal action is involved in the process of ATP production.
• the electron degenerates to the gamma point (top of the band), but when orthogonal electric and magnetic fields are applied, so-called cyclotron motion starts.
• a heavy hole has a kinetic energy equivalent to an optical phonon in a short time because the effective mass is about eight times larger than that of a light hole.
• the optical phonon is released immediately and returns to the heavy hole zone again, but a part is scattered by the light hole zone. In this way, accumulation of light holes occurs, and population inversion occurs for heavy holes.
• the light hole obtains kinetic energy from the electric field, and when it reaches a predetermined energy level, makes optical transition directly to the heavy hole band, and emits far-infrared rays in the wavelength of 100 microns.
• P-type germanium having an absolute temperature of about 300 ° C. has a wavelength of 100 ° C. It would emit far-infrared rays inside and outside the micron, and thought that this would cause both thermal and non-thermal effects on the human body.
• the Fermi level of the hole is near the valence band and has an energy of 25 meV at room temperature, it has a level of 2.5 meV, which corresponds to the far-infrared ray at a wavelength of 100 micron.
• the Fermi level of the hole is near the valence band and has an energy of 25 meV at room temperature, it has a level of 2.5 meV, which corresponds to the far-infrared ray at a wavelength of 100 micron.
• the Fermi level of the hole is near the valence band and has an energy of 25 meV at room temperature, it has a level of 2.5 meV, which corresponds to the far-infrared ray at a wavelength of 100 micron.
• the amount of germanium eluted by the three types of samples Al, A2, and A3 was measured. ⁇
• the content (% by weight) of silver, germanium, and indium in each of the manufactured samples (alloys) is as follows.
• the amount of germanium eluted is reduced by increasing the amount of indium added.
• the corrosion resistance was observed using five types of samples B1 to B5.
• the contents (% by weight) of silver, germanium, and indium in each of the manufactured samples (alloys) are as follows.
• Samples B1 to B3 turned blue, and Samples B4 and B5 turned light brown. Comparing the shades, the color of sample B1 was the darkest and the lighter the number.
• Samples B1 to B3 turned blackish blue, sample B4 turned bluish brown, and B5 turned brown. Comparing the shades, the color of sample B1 was the strongest, and the lighter the number, the lighter.
• the corrosion resistance was again observed using the above five types of samples B1 to B5.
• the surface was polished to a mirror surface, immersed in an aqueous solution of sodium sulfide, and visually observed.
• the surface of each of the samples did not show any discoloration, and was kept mirror after 24 hours.
• the present invention it is possible to realize a silver alloy having both a decorative function and a health-oriented function, and an accessory made of the same.
• the jewelry of the present invention can simultaneously achieve metallic luster similar to the radiance of platinum, health promotion and therapeutic effects by the far-infrared effect.

Landscapes

• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Materials Engineering (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Metallurgy (AREA)
• Organic Chemistry (AREA)
• Adornments (AREA)
• Radiation-Therapy Devices (AREA)

Priority Applications (4)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Publications (1)

Family

ID=18039283

Family Applications (1)

Country Status (8)

Families Citing this family (19)

Citations (2)

Family Cites Families (12)

• 1998
  • 1998-11-04 JP JP10313277A patent/JP3025245B1/ja not_active Expired - Lifetime
• 1999
  • 1999-06-24 CA CA002347686A patent/CA2347686A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 1999-06-24 KR KR10-2000-7014902A patent/KR100392157B1/ko not_active IP Right Cessation
  • 1999-06-24 CN CN99807682A patent/CN1097638C/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 1999-06-24 EP EP99926805A patent/EP1130124A4/en not_active Withdrawn
  • 1999-06-24 US US09/719,280 patent/US6506267B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
  • 1999-06-24 AU AU43934/99A patent/AU759340B2/en not_active Ceased
  • 1999-06-24 WO PCT/JP1999/003387 patent/WO2000026423A1/ja not_active Application Discontinuation

Patent Citations (2)

Non-Patent Citations (1)

Also Published As

Similar Documents

Legal Events